Lot 519. Platinum, 14.75 cts Colombian Emerald and Diamond Clip-Brooch, Cartier, Paris. Estimate: $150,000 - $250,000. © Doyle 

Of stylized heart-shaped motif, centering one emerald-cut emerald approximately 14.75 cts., surrounded by 12 square-cut diamonds, flanked by pairs of scrolled bombé ribbons of 150 round and 48 single-cut diamonds, altogether approximately 20.75 cts., signed Cartier, Paris, no. 010323, with maker's mark and French assay marks, circa 1935, approximately 27.2 dwts. With signed box. 

With AGL report no. 1084848 stating that the emerald is of Colombian origin, with insignificant to minor traditional clarity enhancement. 

Property of a Family of Spanish Descent 

Lot 509. Platinum and 5.01 cts Diamond Ring. Estimate: $125,000 - $175,000. © Doyle 

Centering one pear-shaped diamond approximately 5.01 cts., flanked by 2 tapered baguette diamonds. Size 6. 

With GIA report no. 5171976456 stating that the diamond is D color, VVS2 clarity. 

Lot 511. Platinum, 21.52 cts Colombian Emerald and Diamond Bow Brooch. Estimate: $125,000 - $175,000. © Doyle 

Topped by a double looped bow set with 100 baguette diamonds, centering a cluster of 3 marquise-shaped diamonds approximately 2.50 cts., supporting a drop-shaped pendant centering one pear-shaped emerald approximately 21.52 cts., framed by 21 round and 19 marquise-shaped diamonds, altogether approximately 21.60 cts., approximately 31.2 dwts. 

With AGL report no. 1084006 stating that the emerald is of Colombian origin, with indications of minor traditional clarity enhancement. 

Property of a Distinguished Lady 

Lot 507. Platinum and 8.95 cts Diamond Ring. Estimate: $80,000 - $120,000. © Doyle 

Centering one cut-cornered step emerald-cut diamond approximately 8.95 cts., flanked by 2 trilliant-cut diamonds approximately 1.50 cts. Size 5 1/4. 

With GIA report no. 1343216 stating that the diamond is H color, VS2 clarity. 

Lot 508. Platinum, Gold, 13.71 cts Sapphire and Diamond Ring. Estimate: $80,000 - $120,000. © Doyle 

Centering one cushion-shaped sapphire approximately 13.71 cts., flanked by 2 shield-shaped diamonds approximately 1.50 cts. Size 5 1/4. 

With AGL report no. 1081692 stating that the sapphire is of Madagascar origin, no gemological evidence of heat or clarity enhancement. 

With SSEF report no. 92353 stating that the sapphire is of Madagascar origin, no indications of heating. 

With Gubelin report no. 17032033 stating that the sapphire is of Burma (Myanmar) origin, no indications of heating. 

Property of a Lady 

Lot 502. Platinum and 6.41 cts Diamond Ring. Estimate: $80,000 - $120,000. © Doyle 

Centering one cushion-shaped modified brilliant diamond approximately 6.41 cts., flanked by 2 modified tapered baguette diamonds approximately .50 ct., edged by small old European-cut diamonds. Size 6 1/2. 

With GIA report no. 2181627961 stating that the diamond is F color, VS2 clarity. 

Estate of Barbara Hartley Lord 

Lot 3610. A fine and large blue and white 'Lotus scroll' moonflask, Seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795), 44.5 cm, 17 1/2  in. Estimate 20,000,000 — 30,000,000 HKD. Lot sold 24,100,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

well modelled with a flattened globular body tapering to an oval foot, surmounted by a tall waisted neck flanked by a pair of archaistic dragon handles, boldly painted in vivid tones of cobalt blue with simulated 'heaping and piling', depicting large stylised lotuses and smaller attendant blooms borne on an undulating foliate meander, between pendent ruyi heads and upright lappets, all below a band of plantain leaves at the neck, the mouth and foot encircled by bands of cresting waves, the underside inscribed with a six-character seal mark.

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 17th May 1988, lot 183.
Christie's Hong Kong, 30th October 1995, lot 668A.
Christie's Hong Kong, 1st December 2010, lot 3057.

Note: The Qianlong Emperor’s connoisseurship of arts is well documented and his vast collection, particularly of ceramics, contained spectacular masterpieces. For its magnificent and expertly painted design the present moonflask would have been amongst his prized possessions. It represents one of the most challenging and advanced pieces made during his reign. The production of exquisitely decorated large and undistorted vessels required considerable expertise from the potter, who for this piece borrowed extensively from archaic forms and decorative motifs while retaining a sense of modernity. Reference to ancient forms and designs was much appreciated by the Qianlong Emperor who embraced art not only for its intrinsic beauty but also to cement his connection to a glorious past. 

The Qianlong Emperor’s generous patronage and personal taste, which tended towards extravagant and showy pieces, greatly influenced the making of technically challenging and artistically complex display pieces. The production of large vessels, which are considerably heavy, required the highest level of technical skill only to be found amongst potters working in the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, under the instructions of China’s preeminent Superintendent, Tang Ying. Imperial records reveal that the Qianlong Emperor habitually asked Tang Ying to design special pieces for him, thus opening avenues for such fine wares to be created.

The decoration on this vase is meticulously executed in the finest cobalt blue. The composition of lotus blooms and foliate scrolls is perfectly balanced through a thorough understanding of the importance of spacing in successfully creating a rich yet not overcrowded design. Such curling lines are offset by the bold geometric nature of the petal and leaf borders, all of which are hemmed in with crashing wave bands around the foot and mouth rim – ingeniously selected as they mirror the curvilinear and geometric forms of the overall design.

Both the shape and decoration of the vessel take their inspiration from early fifteenth century blue and white porcelain that formed part of the imperial collection. The flat circular form has its roots in archaic bronzes which were adapted into porcelain and painted with a luxurious lotus design during the Ming dynasty. In Qinggong neiwufu zaobanchu dang’an, Jiangxi shao ciqi chu [Archival records from the Qing imperial household department workshop, ceramics production in Jiangxi], it is mentioned that in the third year of the Qianlong period (corresponding to 1738), a number of large imperial Xuande blue and white moonflasks was reproduced for decoration (see Zhang Rong (comp.), Yangxindian Zaobanchu shiliao jilan [Reader of historical material on the Workshops in the Hall of Mental Cultivation], vol. 2: Qianlong chao [Qianlong period], Beijing, 2012, pp. 65-68). For a Xuande lotus scroll decorated moonflask of this size, but standing on a very short foot and without handles, see one in the Qing court collection and still in Beijing, published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (I), Hong Kong, 2008, no. 98. The reference to these early wares is further highlighted on the present piece in the deliberate ‘heaping and piling’ of the cobalt to imitate their predecessor’s mottled effect.

A closely related moonflask was sold in our New York rooms, 20th September 2000, lot 124, and again in these rooms, 2nd May 2005, lot 650; another was sold in these rooms, 29th November 1978, lot 231; a third was sold at Christie’s London, 12th December 1977, lot 164; and another was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 19th January 1988, lot 319. Moonflasks of this type are also known with one central bloom surrounded by eight smaller variations of the lotus in a grid composition and less stylised leaves encircling the neck; see one illustrated in Chinese Porcelain. The S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong, 1987, pl. 65; another sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st October 1992, lot 958; and a third sold in these rooms, 24th May 1985, lot 549.

A large blue and white 'Lotus scroll' moonflask, Seal mark and period of Qianlong. Estimate 600,000 — 800,000 HKD. Lot sold 960,000 HKD at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 2nd May 2005, lot 650. Photo: Sotheby's.

the flattened circular body boldly painted with a broad band of scrolling lotus, the stylised blooms borne on slender meandering stems with curled leaves and tendrils, between a band of pendant ruyi-heads around the shoulder and a lappet border encircling the base, the tapered neck decorated with upright leaves and flanked by pierced loop handles in the form of archaistic dragons, all within a wave border encircling the lipped rim and repeated around the tapered foot

Provenance: Sotheby's New York, 20th September 2000, lot 124.

Note: A Qianlong moon flask of the same design is illustrated in Chinese Porcelain: The S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong, 1987, pl. 65; another was sold in these rooms, 17th May 1988, lot 183. 

Lot 3614. A large blue and white hexagonal vase, seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795), 65 cm, 25 5/8  in. Estimate 6,000,000 — 8,000,000 HKD. Lot sold 10,900,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

sturdily potted of hexagonal section, the baluster body supported on a splayed foot, set with a waisted trumpet neck of conforming section, the sides well painted in brilliant tones of cobalt blue with simulated 'heaping and piling' with boughs of pomegranate, peach and persimmon alternating with flowering branches, decorated with spandrels painted as spiky lotus scrolls, springing from linked trefoils encircling the foot and pendent ruyi border around the shoulder, the neck and foot similarly painted with floral sprays divided by matching spandrels, the base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character seal mark.

Note: The motif of this finely painted vase derives from early Ming blue and white porcelain. Fruiting and flowering branches first appeared on underglaze-blue porcelain during the Yongle reign, a time when the potters at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen achieved enormous developments in the refinement of materials and expansion of the decorative repertoire. Blue and white vases of meiping form decorated with related fruiting and flowering branches are among the most characteristic products of the Yongle period; for examples, see a vase in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red, vol. 1, Hong Kong, 2000, pl. 30, and another offered in this sale, lot 3620. Even the mottled cobalt ‘heaping and piling’ effect of the fifteenth century originals was painstakingly reproduced by the Qing craftsmen in a display of their proficiency over the pigment.

Like many other blue and white wares of the early Ming period, this design was reinvented and transformed during the Yongzheng Emperor’s reign before becoming one of the favourites of the Qianlong Emperor. A new life has been breathed into the Qing versions through the hexagonal form and the inclusion of European-style elements such as the scrolls on the corner edges and the stems of flowers around the neck. The familiar traditional Chinese motifs coupled with the secondary European-style designs not only provide an attractive aesthetic but also firmly celebrate the imperial authority of Qing China. 

Lot 3621. A large and rare blue and white lobed 'Magpie' moonflask, seal mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735), 49.5 cm, 19 1/2  in. Estimate 500,000 — 800,000 HKD. Lot sold 10,300,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

robustly potted with a flattened quatrefoil body rising from a splayed foot to a waisted neck of corresponding form, the neck and shoulder flanked by a pair of handles extending from the neck to the narrow sides, each main side of the vessel painted in shaded tones of cobalt blue with a pair of magpies perched on gnarled branches issuing globular fruiting plants and clusters of leaves, the handles and narrow sides densely decorated with undulating lotus scrolls, the rim and neck bordered with bands of classic scroll and upright plantain leaves respectively, all above a pendent ruyi frieze encircling the foot, the base inscribed with a six-character seal mark.

Provenance: Christie's London, 6th November 1995, lot 85.

Note: Flasks of this unusual lobed form are rare and appear to have been an innovation of the Yongzheng reign. The Emperor is celebrated for his refined taste and passion for classic porcelains of the early Ming dynasty, which were often used as models for inspiration. The motif of birds on flowering and fruiting branches was popular in this period and was inspired by after early Ming prototypes, which were in turn painted after the popular bird and flower paintings of the Song dynasty. This attractive scene is confidently painted on the present piece with bold lines and washes of cobalt in a manner appropriate to its large and weighty form.

Another flask of this form in the Osaka City Municipal Museum, Osaka, is illustrated in Schincho Kogei no bi [Qing Ceramics from the Collection of Umezawa Kinenkan], Tokyo, 1993, pl. 70. The only other example that ever appears to have been sold at auction, acquired by Eskenazi Ltd from our London rooms, 5th July 1977, lot 232, is now in the Matsuoka Museum of Art, Tokyo, illustrated in the Museum's Selected Masterpieces of Oriental Ceramics, Tokyo, 1984, pl. 135.

See also an unmarked flask of this form and large size, but painted with a flower scroll, illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl. 948; and another sold in our London rooms, 27th November 1973, lot 261.

Lot 3686. A fine blue and white Ming-style arrow vase, seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795), 19.3 cm, 7 5/8  in. Estimate 1,200,000 — 1,500,000 HKD. Lot sold 1,500,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the ovoid body painted with stylised foliate scrolls, set between pendent and upright plantain leaves, the tall cylindrical neck detailed with swirling waves rising to a slightly flared rim, flanked by a pair of lug handles and fastened together with a keyfret band, the underside inscribed with a six-character seal mark.

Provenance: Christie's Hong Kong, 30th May 2006, lot 1408.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8th October 2010, lot 2780.

Note: The present vase is an archetypal example of the archaistic style favoured by the Qianlong Emperor as it follows imperial porcelain designs of the Xuande reign, which were in turn inspired by archaic bronze vessels. A closely related vase from the Qing court collection and still in Beijing, included in the International Exhibition of Chinese Art, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1935, is published in Illustrated Catalogue of Chinese Government Exhibits for the International Exhibition of Chinese Art in London, Shanghai, 1936, pl. 263; another in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is illustrated in Blue-and-White Ware of the Ch’ing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1968, vol. II, pl. 7; a third in the Nanjing Museum, Nanjing, is illustrated in The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, pl. 140; and a further example was sold at Christie’s New York, 19th March 2008, lot 601. For the Xuande prototype of this vase, see one in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Museum’s Special Exhibition of Hsuan-Te Wares, Taipei, 1980, cat. no. 8.

A Ming-style blue and white vase, Qianlong seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795), 7 5/8 in. (19.3 cm.) high. Sold for USD 115,000 at Christie’s New York, 19th March 2008, lot 601. © Christie's Images Ltd 2008

Cf. my post A Ming-style blue and white vase, Qianlong seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795)

Lot 3688. A blue and white  'Bajixiang' moonflask, seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795), 34.5 cm, 13 5/8  in. Estimate 600,000 — 800,000 HKD. Lot sold 937,500 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the circular body rising from a splayed oval foot to a cylindrical neck flanked by a pair of S-scroll handles, finely painted in varying tones of cobalt blue enhanced by simulated 'heaping and piling', each side centred on a large boss with a floral medallion comprising ruyi-shaped petals enclosed within a key-fret and lappet border, all encircled by radiating bold lotus petal panels containing the bajixiang, surrounded by a key-fret border, the flat sides with a narrow band of leafy scrolls issuing lotus blooms, the neck and foot each painted with a lingzhi scroll and key-fret around the rim, inscribed on the base with a six-character seal mark.

Provenance: A Japanese private collection, formed in the 1930s.
Sotheby's Paris, 12th December 2013, lot 144.

Note: In both its form and painted motif, as well as its simulation of the 'heaped and piled' technique to render the design, this moonflask immediately references China’s glorious porcelain tradition. The flattened form with raised medallion is modelled after early fifteenth century flasks, that were in turn inspired Middle-Eastern metal prototypes, while the design is reminiscent of an early-Ming Buddhist motif of a double vajra surrounded by eight petal panels containing the bajixiang. Interestingly, in the Qing version the order of the bajixiang has been slightly altered, with the twin-fish emblem appearing before the knot and after the vase emblem.

While flasks of this type are numerous, the present piece is particularly unusual for its size, the form of its handles and the raised rib on the neck; similar examples include one sold in our London rooms, 13th May 1969, lot 137; another from the Manno Art Museum, sold at Christie’s London, 21st June 2001, lot 106; and a third sold at Christie’s New York, 16th September 2011, lot 1547. Compare also larger flasks of related form and design, such as one in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ch’ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, vol. II, Tokyo, 1981, pl. 5; two published in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pls 949 and 950, the latter lacking the Qianlong reign mark; and another in the Nanjing Museum, Nanjing, illustrated in Zhongguo lidai Jingdezhen ciqi: Qing juan [Chinese ceramics from Jingdezhen through the ages: Qing dynasty], Beijing, 1998, p. 169.

Rembrandt van Rijn, Flora, 1634 © State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

AMSTERDAM.- For the first time in its existence, the Hermitage Amsterdam is holding an exhibition devoted to one of the most spectacular treasures of the State Hermitage museum in St Petersburg: its collection of seventeenth-century Dutch paintings. The selection of works in the Dutch Masters from the Hermitage: Treasures of the Tsars exhibition totals sixty-three paintings by no fewer than fifty different artists, including six by Rembrandt. Virtually all the great Dutch Masters are represented. The State Hermitage’s collection of Dutch Golden Age paintings contains 1500 works, making it the biggest anywhere outside the Netherlands. 

Grandest ever selection 
The exhibition promises to be a feast of old favourites and new discoveries, with six works by Rembrandt plus works by Gerrit Adriaensz. Berckheyde, Ferdinand Bol, Gerard ter Borch, Gerard Dou, Govert Flinck, Jan van Goyen, Frans Hals, Pieter Lastman, Gabriël Metsu, Paulus Potter, Jacob van Ruisdael, Jan Steen, Joachim Wtewael and many others. The glory days of Golden Age painting between 1650 and 1670 are lavishly represented by 37 works. In addition to world-famous masterpieces like Rembrandt’s Flora and Young Woman with Earrings, one of Frans Hals’ renowned male portraits and van Bartholomeus van der Helst’s Nieuwmarkt in Amsterdam, the show includes works by lesser-known but still extremely impressive painters like Willem Drost, Jacob Duck, Pieter Janssens Elinga, Arent de Gelder and Emanuel de Witte. The vast majority (57) of the works normally form part of the permanent display of Dutch Painting at the State Hermitage and most have not been back in the Netherlands since they were acquired for the Russian collection. 

Love of Dutch Masters 
The exhibition also explores the Russian Tsars’ love of Dutch Masters and the way the artworks were traded. Peter the Great was among the earliest collectors of Dutch Masters, acquiring his first Rembrandt when he was just 25. His interest predated the craze that gradually swept Europe. In the eighteenth century, Catherine the Great built up a large collection (as did many private collectors) and nineteenth-century Tsars continued to build on her holdings, thereby helping to reinforce the growing international appreciation of Rembrandt and his contemporaries.

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), Portrait of a Scholar, 1631. © State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), Portrait of an Old Man in Red, c. 1652/54 © State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), Portrait of a Man, 1661. © State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Gabriël Metsu, Breakfast, c. 1659–62 © State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Willem Kalf, Stillife with dessert, c. 1653/1654 © State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Dirck van Baburen, Concert, 1623 © State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Govert Flinck, Portrait of a Young Man, 1637 © State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Rembrandt, Young Woman with Earrings, 1656 © State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Frans Hals, Portrait of a Man, before 1660 © State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Paulus Potter, Punishment of a Hunter, c. 1647 © State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Jan Steen, Tric-Trac Players, 1667 © State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Gerard ter Borch, Glass with Lemonade, 1660–70 © State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Gerard Dou, Soldier Bathing, c. 1660–65 © State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Gerrit Berckheyde, View of Amsterdam City Hall, 1670 © State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Pieter Janssens Elinga, Room in a Dutch House, c. 1665–75 © State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Melchior de Hondecoeter, Birds in a Park, 1686 © State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Willem Claesz. Heda, Breakfast with a Crab, 1648 © State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Lot 3681. A large blue and white 'dragon' basin, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795), 40.4 cm, 15 7/8  in. Estimate 800,000 — 1,000,000 HKD. Lot sold 1,000,000  HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

robustly potted with deep cylindrical sides rising from a flat base, gently sweeping up to a wide everted rim, the interior boldly painted with a three-clawed dragon in profile pursuing a flaming pearl, its sinuous body detailed with scales, the muscular limbs terminating in sharp claws entangled amongst dense scrolling clouds, all encircled by a continuous band depicting four carp leaping in waves, the tumultuous waters cresting with foams, splashing on pierced rocky mountains issuing lingzhi shrubs below bats in flight, the top of the flat rim bordered by a stylised ruyi band with trefoil florets, similarly decorated to the exterior with four archaistic kui dragons between line borders, the base with an unglazed ring fired to orange.

Provenance: Collection of John St Clair Elkington, Hampshire, England, purchased from Hay Hill in Mayfair, London during World War II, by repute.
Thence by descent.

Note: A sense of dynamism is captured on this basin through the sinuous dragon that clutches branches of billowing lingzhi, which is further accentuated by the scene of fish swimming amongst the crashing waves. The design represents the journey of the carp and its transformation into a dragon by swimming against the current of the Yellow River and leaping up at the Dragon Gate. The scrolling lingzhi are reminiscent of Qianlong mark and period vases decorated with chilongclambering amongst scrolling stems of lingzhi , such as one in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Porcelain of the National Palace Museum. Blue-and-White Ware of the Ch’ing Dynasty II, Hong Kong, 1968, pl. 10. On the present piece, the chilong have been placed on the exterior of the basin, the plain white ground of which provides a striking contrast with the complex interior.

Cf. my post: A rare blue and white 'Phoenix' basin, Mark and period of Kangxi

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 03 Oct 2017

Lot 3734. A pair of blue and white and iron-red 'dragon' dishes, seal marks and period of Qianlong (1736-1795), 17.9 cm, 7 in. Estimate 400,000 — 600,000 HKD. Lot sold 500,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

each with shallow rounded sides rising from a short foot to a flared rim, the interior with a central medallion enclosing an iron-red scaly five-clawed dragon soaring against a ground of tempestuous waves rendered in underglaze blue, the exterior decorated with nine iron-red dragons against underglaze-blue waves below a band of stylised florets and scrollwork encircling the rim, the base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character seal mark.

Provenance: Sotheby's Paris, 15th December 2011, lot 182.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 03 Oct 2017

Lot 3689. A pair of blue and white 'Three Friends' dishes, seal marks and period of Qianlong (1736-1795), 18 cm, 7 1/8  in. Estimate 200,000 — 300,000 HKD. Lot sold 487,500 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

each with rounded sides rising from a tapered foot to a flared rim, the exterior painted with a continuous scene depicting two conversing young boys seated below a willow tree, next to a courtyard decorated with plants and rocks, leading to an interior scene with a lady seated in a composed manner on a bench, the interior decorated with a medallion enclosing the 'Three Friends of Winter', depicting a large overhanging pine tree, bamboo shoots and a gnarled tree bearing prunus blossoms and buds, inscribed to the base with a six-character seal mark.

Exhibited: Special Triennial Tobi Art Fair, Tokyo Bijutsu Club, Tokyo, 1985.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 03 Oct 2017

Lot 3685. A fine blue and white 'lança' dish, mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735), 17.7 cm, 7 in. Estimate 350,000 — 450,000 HKD. Lot sold 437,500 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the shallow rounded sides rising from a short straight foot to a slightly flared rim, finely painted to the central interior with a stylised mandala formed from a petalled medallion enclosing combed waves surrounded by billowing ribbons and three-pronged vajra pointing to the cardinal directions, all within a double-line border repeated at the rim, the exterior with three rows of lança characters between double blue lines at the rim and foot, the slightly domed base inscribed with a six-character reign mark within a double circle.

Provenance: A Japanese private collection.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 9th October 2012, lot 3087.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 03 Oct 2017

Lot 3684. A blue and white 'Lotus and lança characters' stem bowl, seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795), 16 cm, 6 1/4  in. Estimate 200,000 — 300,000 HKD. Lot sold 400,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

with deep rounded sides rising from a tall slightly splayed foot to a flared rim, the exterior of the vessel inscribed with eight lança characters above a stylised flaming strapwork, below a band enclosing lotus blooms framed by medallions and leafy scrolls, all above a further frieze of lotus blooms and undulating scrolls bordering the tall foot, the interior of the foot inscribed with a horizontal six-character seal mark
16 cm, 6 1/4  in..

Provenance: Christie's London, 22nd June 1995, lot 491.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 03 Oct 2017

Petrus Christus, Portrait of a Young Woman, c. 1450, silverpoint on gray prepared paper, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam.

WASHINGTON, DC.- Rotterdam's historic Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen holds one of the finest collections of Netherlandish master drawings. In a special presentation of this collection at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, some 100 works explore the many functions of drawings, from preparatory studies for paintings and designs for prints to finished works of art. On view from October 8, 2017, through January 7, 2018, Bosch to Bloemaert: Early Netherlandish Drawings from the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam includes landscapes, portraits, biblical scenes, and historical and mythological scenes that will be exhibited in the United States only in Washington. 

"This exhibition presents a stunning selection of Netherlandish drawings," said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art, Washington. "The National Gallery of Art has a nearly 50-year tradition of presenting drawing exhibitions that focus on specific treasures from other collections around the world, and we are delighted to be able to introduce our visitors to this selection of rare, innovative, and distinctive sheets from this distinguished Rotterdam institution. As the final venue for the exhibition's tour, we are delighted to be the only U.S. museum presenting these works to our millions of visitors in the nation's capital." 

Hieronymus Bosch, The Owl's Nest, c. 1505/1515, pen and brown ink, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam.

While the exhibition features the remarkable skill and virtuosity of masters such as Hieronymus Bosch, Abraham Bloemaert, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, and Hendrick Goltzius, several key examples also reveal the variety of functions served by drawings across the 15th through 17th centuries. 

In the 15th-century artist's workshop, meticulous studies recorded compositions and motifs for reuse in later works. Several drawings on view likely served this purpose, including a newly discovered sheet of the crucifixion dating from around 1440 to 1450, from the workshop of Jan van Eyck (c. 1390–1441). A selection of 16th-century drawings includes a number of preliminary studies, such as a rare complete set of preparatory drawings for a print series by Hans Bol (1534–1593). Two very different figure studies for a painting by Abraham Bloemaert (1566-1651) offer a glimpse into artistic practices in the early 17th century. 

Lucas van Leyden, Jael Killing Sisera, c. 1520/1525, pen and brown ink, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam.

The exhibition also traces the major artistic developments of the time. Among the most important was the emergence of landscape as a genre, a movement marked in the exhibition by several panoramic mountain views by the great master Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c. 1525/1530–1569). Studies of local and faraway scenes by later artists include Flooded Valley with Trees by Pieter's son, Jan Breughel (1568–1625), and Landscape with Horsemen out Hawking, by Joos de Momper (1564–1635). 

This period reflects a shift in attitudes toward drawings themselves, as both artists and collectors began to view them as autonomous works of art. The Owl's Nest (c. 1505/1515) by Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450–1516) is a spectacular early example of this trend. Decades later, the innovative painter and printmaker Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617) made independent drawings in a variety of media. The exhibition includes 14 works by Goltzius, drawings that range from tiny metalpoint portraits to elaborate pen studies. His work also exemplifies the increasingly international character of Netherlandish art, as Goltzius absorbed the influence of the classical and Renaissance works he saw in Italy and adapted the sophisticated style his counterparts brought home from the imperial court in Prague. 

The exhibition is curated by Albert J. Elen, senior curator of drawings and prints, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam. Stacey Sell, associate curator, department of old master drawings, National Gallery of Art, Washington, is the coordinating curator for the presentation in Washington.

Pieter Bruegel I, Charity, 1559, pen and brown ink, indented, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam.

Hans Bol, June (Cancer) from the series The Twelve Months, c. 1580 – 1581, pen and brown ink and brown wash, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam.

Hendrick Goltzius, Portraits of Jan Baertsz and Maritgen Pietersdochter, 1580, metalpoint, heightened with white, partially reworked with pen and brown ink and gouache on ivory-colored prepared tablet, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam.

Hendrick Goltzius, Venus and Cupid, 1590, pen and brown ink, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam.

Jacques de Gheyn II, Study of a Tree Trunk, c. 1608/1610, black chalk, pen and brown ink, brown and gray wash, on brown paper, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.

Lot 3638. A fine Ru-type hexagonal vase, hu, seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795),  46 cm, 18 1/8  in. Estimate 3,200,000 — 3,800,000 HKD. Lot sold 3,940,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

finely potted of hexagonal section, the facetted baluster body supported on a splayed foot, rising to a waisted neck flanked by a pair of tubular handles, covered overall with an attractive greyish-blue glaze of sky-blue tone, the glaze stopping neatly at the footring, inscribed to the base with the six-character seal mark in underglaze blue.

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 20th May 1981, lot 822.

Note: Deceptively simple in form and design, this vase forms a marked contrast to the richly ornamented decorative style that is generally associated with the Qianlong period, and illustrates the technical perfection achieved by craftsmen working at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen. Monochrome vessels required the highest level of skill and precision in every stage of their production, from the purity of the clay and precision of the potting to the evenness of the glaze and control of the firing. The slightest irregularity would result in the rejection and destruction of the piece, thus pushing the craftsmen to the limits of their abilities, particularly in the production of large vessels such as the current vase. The subtle glaze has been created in imitation of Ru ware, one of the ‘five great wares’ of the Song period (960-1279) along with Ding, ge, guan and Jun. It reflects the Qing emperors’ penchant for these early wares, which they not only collected but also commissioned the imperial kilns to recreate or imitate. Even the unglazed foot has been stained with a brown wash to simulate its predecessors.

See a closely related example of similar size from the collection of Sakamoto Gorō, sold in these rooms, 8th October 2014, lot 3508. Smaller vases of this type include one sold in our New York rooms, 23rd March 2011, lot 736; and another sold in these rooms, 26th October 2003, lot 50. For the Yongzheng prototype, see a guan-type vase from the Qing court collection and still in Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 204. Compare also an example sold in these rooms, 9th October 2007, lot 1534.

A fine Ru-type hexagonal vase, seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795), from the collection of Sakamoto Gorō, 47.5 cm., 18 5/8  in. Sold for 3,640,000 HKD at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8th October 2014, lot 3508. Photo: Sotheby's.

Cf. my post: A fine Ru-type hexagonal vase, seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795)

Qianlong vases of this form are known in a number of different glazes; for example see one of similar size covered in a teadust glaze, published in Chinese Ceramics from the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl. 965; another from the Toguri Collection, Tokyo, sold in our London rooms, 9th June 2004, lot 3, and again in these rooms, 8th April 2010, lot 1822; a smaller vase with a sky-blue glaze, from the Hakutsuru Art Museum, Kobe, included in Sekai toji zenshu/Ceramic Art of the World, vol. 12, Tokyo, 1956, pl. 46; and a celadon-glazed example sold in these rooms, 25th November 1981, lot 323. The panelled shape of this vase was also suited to underglaze-blue designs; for example see one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Treasures of the Royalty. The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, pl. 238. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 03 Oct 2017

Lot 35. 1955 Jaguar D-type, Ex-Duncan Hamilton, Gerry Ashmore, Bib Stillwell, Chassis No: XKD510. Estimate $7,000,000 - $8,000,000. © 2017 Mossgreen

MELBOURNE.- One of the most iconic and coveted cars in the collector car world, the 1955 Jaguar D-type is expected to sell for between £4m to £4,7m, according to auction house Mossgreen. One sold last year for £16m (US $21.8m). It is the highest-value car ever to go to public auction in Australia and will cross the block with Mossgreen Auctions at the annual Motorclassica Auction this year, on Saturday night 14th October 2017 in Melbourne. 

Owned in Europe by the renowned former Le Mans 24 Hour winner Duncan Hamilton, chassis XKD510 enjoyed many successes in the UK and French West Africa before going to Singapore, and eventually Australia in the late ‘60s.  

Noted Jaguar collector Ian Cummins owned it for a time here before Australian motor racing legend and former President of Lear Jet, Bib Stillwell bought the car at auction for a then World record price. Stillwell took it to the USA, where he successfully campaigned it across America on the historic racing scene. Of recent times the car has featured on display at the famed Donington Museum in the UK, before returning to Australia again. 

XKD510 is the only genuine D-Type Jaguar in Australia. 

“The Jaguar D-type is one of the world’s most significant and collectible marques, and we are thrilled and excited to have this exceptional and historic car consigned to our inaugural Motorclassica Auction,” Mossgreen CEO Paul Sumner said. 

“Along with impeccable provenance and competition history, the D-type is gorgeous, an absolute work of art, a sculpture on wheels, one of the most beautiful cars ever made. It’s the most valuable car to ever go to public auction in Australia, and no doubt will set new records on auction night at Motorclassica.”

Mossgreen’s first Motorclassica Auction will see 31 prestigious, rare and collectable cars and motorcycles go under the hammer, highlighted by the D-type Jaguar, along with 18 lots of collectible numberplates and automobilia. 

To be staged for the eighth consecutive year at Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building, Motorclassica is Australia’s premier classic and collector car and motorcycle exhibition. It uniquely mixes rare, exotic and collectable cars and motorcycles from around the world, with the latest contemporary high-end sports and performance models. 

Lot 35. 1955 Jaguar D-type. Ex-Duncan Hamilton, Gerry Ashmore, Bib Stillwell. Chassis No: XKD510. Engine No: E 2017-9. Body No: H 2010. Estimate $7,000,000 - $8,000,000. © 2017 Mossgreen

Another racing car is also sure to capture the interest of global car collectors at Mossgreen’s auction. 

A 1956 Cooper Climax T39 bob-tail sports car once raced by British-born American Lance Reventlow, the son of Woolworth’s heiress Barbara Hutton, is estimated to bring more than $400,000, as well as a 1934 MG Q Type with Australian racing history driven by Hope Bartlett and Jumbo Goddard. 

Lot 39. 1956 Cooper Climax T39 Bob-tail Sports Racer. Ex-Lance Reventlow, Harry Banta, Paul Moxham. Estimate $390,000 - $430,000. © 2017 Mossgreen

For Jaguar enthusiasts who miss out on the D-type, there is an example of the coveted flat-floor 1961 E-type 3.8, expected to fetch more than $300,000, which has been in single family ownership for 43 years. 

Lot 29. 1961 Jaguar E-type Series 1 3.8 OTS ‘Flat Floor’. The 100th produced E-Type roadster & single family ownership for 43 years.Chassis No: 850101. Engine No: R1641-90. Estimate $280,000 - $320,000.  © 2017 Mossgreen

“The Motorclassica Auction has certainly attracted international market cars and buyers before, but for us to bring to market a D-type with such provenance is a genuine high point in our eight year history,” Event Director Paul Mathers said. 

Other highly desirable cars in the 2017 Motorclassica Auction will be a 1958 Lister-Jaguar ‘Knobbly’ recreation, a very original 1965 Porsche 911, two Maserati Ghiblis and an outstanding 1969 Mini Cooper S.  

Lot 41. 1958 Lister-Jaguar ‘Knobbly’ Replica Reconstruction. Chassis No: BHL-165R.Engine No: NC2123-8. Estimate $260,000 - $280,000. © 2017 Mossgreen

Lot 52. 1965 Porsche 911. Chassis No: 300882. Engine No: 900987. Estimate $210,000 - $250,000. © 2017 Mossgreen

Lot 24. 1969 Morris Mini Cooper S. Chassis No: YKG2S2.5472. Engine No: 9FXEY.51635. Estimate $35,000 - $40,000. © 2017 Mossgreen

Enthusiasts interested in older cars of historical significance might like a boat-tailed 1930 Ford Model A which set a record for the Sydney to Bourke run or a 1924 Vauxhall 30/98 Tourer which set both trans-continental and around Australia records in the late ‘30s.

Lot 26. The Sydney to Bourke Record Holding 1930 Ford Model A Boat-tail. Engine No: CA5803. Estimate $45,000 - $60,000. © 2017 Mossgreen

Lot 50. 1924 Vauxhall 30/98 Tourer OE86/100. The Trans-Continental and Round Australia record car (July 1936 & November 1938). Chassis No: OE86. Engine No: OE100. Estimate $290,000 - $330,000. © 2017 Mossgreen

Oscar de la Renta and André Leon Talley. SHAREIF ZIYADAT/FILMMAGIC

"The Glamour and Romance of Oscar de la Renta". Exhibition views. Photos: Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle.

Lot 3607. A fine falangcai'Mille-fleurs' bowl, blue enamel mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735), 10.1 cm, 4 in. Estimate 8,000,000 — 10,000,000 HKD. Lot sold 18,700,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

finely potted with deep rounded sides rising from a narrow straight foot to a gently flared rim, the exterior and foot delicately painted in brilliant enamels of pink, yellow, green, lavender and white with a dense bouquet of mixed floral blooms, including large clusters of chrysanthemum and lotus, surrounded by sprigs of hydrangea, pink, magnolia, hibiscus and aster, all blooming against a ground of dense foliage in varied shades of green, the interior and base left white, the latter inscribed in blue enamel with a four-character reign mark within a double square, wood stand.

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 25th November 1981, lot 278.
A Hong Kong private collection.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8th October 2013, lot 3021.

Literature: Sotheby’s Hong Kong. Twenty Years, 1973-1993, Hong Kong, 1993, no. 231.

Lot 3615. A rare and brilliantly enamelled doucai and famille-rose inscribed ‘Autumn’ moonflask, seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795), 31.8 cm, 12 1/2  in. Estimate 12,000,000 — 18,000,000 HKD. Lot sold 14,500,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

superbly modelled with a flattened globular body rising from a short unglazed foot to a waisted neck and lipped mouth-rim, the neck flanked by a pair of ruyi strap handles, each detailed with a yellow-ground band enclosing foliage and a floret, one side of the body decorated with a large gilt-rimmed medallion enclosing a famille-rose scene of an overhanging tree trunk and luxuriant flowering plants, including peony and chrysanthemum blooms, the reverse with a similarly gilt-rimmed medallion enclosing an imperial poem describing the autumnal floral scene and followed by two seal marks reading Qian and long respectively, the sides and neck of the vessel decorated in the doucai palette with bats and undulating lotus scrolls, the sides further detailed with ruyi heads interlinked with the foliate scrolls, all below a pendent ruyi border encircling the rim.

Provenance: Collection of Alfred Morrison (1821-1897), probably acquired in 1861 from Lord Loch of Drylaw (1827-1900).
Collection of the Rt. Hon the Lord Margadale of Islay, T.D., Fonthill House, Tisbury, Wiltshire.
Christie’s London, 18th October 1971, lot 95.
Collection of Mrs W.R. Bindley.
Sotheby's London, 16th June 1998, lot 289.

Note: This luxurious moonflask celebrates the creative breadth of porcelain production during the Qianlong period (1736-1795) and represents the Emperor’s personal taste which gravitated towards artistically complex designs. It is particularly notable for its successful incorporation of several design techniques on an early-Ming inspired form: a doucai formal scroll surrounding a famille-rose scene on one side and an inscription on the reverse, and shaped handles. By combining these different elements, the result is not only aesthetically striking but also draws attention to the Qianlong Emperor’s eclectic taste that shaped the development of porcelain during his reign.

An Exquisite Moonflask for Autumn

The eye is immediately drawn to the delicate medallion of flowers which have been elegantly rendered in famille-rose enamels and encircled with a fine gilt-painted line, correlating with the inscription on the reverse. In style, the rendering of the scene closely follows the flower paintings of one of China’s most eminent artists, Yun Shouping (1633-1690). Yun, whose sobriquet was Nantian, one of the ‘Six Masters’ of the early Qing period, generally associated with paintings of flowers in the meigu or ‘boneless’ style that emphasises washes of colour rather than lines. His novel and unique manner of painting allowed him to bring out the distinct and innate beauty of the flowers while making them appear vibrant. He reintroduced the use of strong, bold colours, such as reds, purples and bright greens, which helped revive this genre in China. Yun’s paintings were greatly admired by the Yongzheng (r. 1725-1736) and Qianlong Emperors, and with the development of famille-rose enamels in the 1720s, porcelain designs inspired by Yun’s paintings were created.

The overall design is flanked by a pair of ruyi-form handles, which adds an added dimension of novelty and opulence to the piece. The appearance of ruyi sceptres as handles on vases was clearly a response to the Qianlong Emperor’s predilection for the idiosyncratic. Combined with the lotus flowers and five red bats of the doucai scroll, they reveal the Qianlong Emperor’s infatuation with portents of good fortune, forming the wish for ‘longevity and fortune as high as the sky’.

A very small group of vessels of this attractive type that set a famille-rose scene within a doucai border is known and is so close in style, that they appear to have been created by the same hand; the companion to the present piece, sold in our London rooms, 14th November 2001, lot 116, and again at Christie’s New York, 15th/16th March 2015, lot 3160; and two vases in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Yeh Pei-Lang, Gems of the Doucai, Taipei, 1993, pls 112 and 113. Characteristic of this group is the sense of harmony of that has been cleverly achieved through the use of iron-red and green enamel as a compositional device. By weaving these colours throughout the overall design, as seen in the ruyi handles and formal doucai lotus scroll to the large chrysanthemum bloom on the present piece, all the exquisitely rendered elements not only interact cohesively but complement each other.

A rare inscribed  famille-rose and doucai moonflask, Qianlong period (1736-1795), . Sold for USD 365,000 at Christie’s New York, 15th/16th March 2015, lot 3160. © Christie’s Image Ltd 2015

Cf. my post: A rare inscribed famille rose and doucai moonflask, Qianlong period (1736-1795)

Lot 3608. A superbly enamelled blue-ground 'yangcai' sgraffiato 'Floral' bowl and cover, seal marks and period of Qianlong (1736-1795), 9.8 cm, 3 7/8  in. Estimate 4,000,000 — 6,000,000 HKD. Lot sold 6,700,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

finely potted with deep rounded sides rising from a short splayed foot to an everted rim, the exterior meticulously decorated in variegated tones of rose pink, yellow and iron red with an opulent design of luxuriant stylised budding and blooming floral blossoms, including lotus, anemone and honeysuckle, the flower heads rendered borne on undulating stems issuing curling foliage, all against a blue ground picked out in the sgraffiato technique with dense feathery arabesques, all between a gilt rim and footring, the gilt-rimmed domed cover similarly decorated with three large floral blooms issuing from foliate scrolls bearing smaller flowers, all reserved on a sgraffiato blue ground, the base of the bowl and centre of the finial enamelled turquoise and centred with an underglaze-blue six-character seal mark within a white cartouche.

Provenance: A French private collection, Normandy, by repute.

The form of this piece, with its cover that sits inside the rim of the bowl, appears to have been favoured in the early eighteenth century. It allowed the tea leaves to be caught against the edge of the cover when the tea was sipped with the cover carefully held in place using the ring knop. The Qianlong Emperor was a fervent tea enthusiast, composing more than 200 poems expressing his appreciation of tea culture as well as the process of making tea leaves and preparing tea. During the Qing, many of the tea traditions that were established by the Hongwu Emperor (1368-1398) of the Ming dynasty were continued, such as the use of tea leaves rather than tea cakes or ground tea. While many of the utensils did not change as a result, a greater assortment of shapes and designs evolved with the flourishing porcelain production and stylistic trends of the time. A slightly larger bowl and cover of this form, depicting a pavilion in a landscape on one side and inscribed with an imperial poem entitled ‘While the tea is brewing, and it is raining outside, I dream of going on a boat trip’, on the other, the panels bordered by similarly decorated floral borders on a ruby-red sgraffiato ground, was sold in these rooms, 6th December 1994, lot 211, and included in the exhibition Imperial Perfection. The Palace Porcelain of Three Chinese Emperors. A Selection from the Wang Xing Lou Collection, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, 2004, cat. no. 56; and its pair was sold at Christie’s Paris, 14th December 2016, lot 72.

The Qianlong Emperor’s satisfaction with the form of this tea bowl is evident as it is found decorated in a variety of styles and media. For example, see a simulation lacquer bowl and cover, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Museum’s exhibition Empty Vessels, Replenished Minds: The Culture, Practice, and Art of Tea, Taipei, 2002, cat. no. 139, together with a gold bowl with cloisonné enamel flower scrolls, cat. no. 159. Compare also a Qianlong mark and period sgraffiato decorated white-ground bowl enamelled with dragons and phoenix in iron red, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, published in Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1995, p. 332; another, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, sold at Christie’s New York, 15th September 2016, lot 967; a pink-ground version decorated in puce enamel, sold twice in our New York rooms, 23rd/24th April 1975, lot 342, and again, 16th September 2008, lot 125, from the collection of Frieda and Milton Rosenthal; and a mille-fleurs enamelled version, from the C. Philip Cardeiro collection, sold at Christie’s London, 13th May 2014, lot 92.

Lot 3602. A rare turquoise-ground famille-rose'Nine Dragon' cloisonné-imitation vase, seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795), 35.5 cm, 14 in. Estimate 800,000 — 1,200,000 HKD. Lot sold 3,700,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the elegant baluster body rising from a slightly splayed foot to rounded shoulders surmounted by a tall waisted neck flaring at the rim, painted to the body with lively dragons, each with a bifurcated tail and in a different colour and outlined in gilt, all soaring between pale green, deep blue and red lingzhi-shaped clouds, above breaking waves at the base, with a similar thin band of breaking waves at the shoulder below two further dragons and a thin band of ruyi at the rim, the turquoise base gilt-inscribed with a six-character seal mark.

Provenance: Christie's London, 16th December 1996, lot 12.

Note: Meticulously painted with sinuous chilong among clouds on a blue ground, this piece belongs to a group of vessels commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor which was created to imitate cloisonné enamel. Qianlong was particularly fond of cloisonné work which he revived on a grand scale after a period of disregard under the Yongzheng Emperor. He had it imitated in painted enamel and porcelain, where the wires separating the cloisons of different enamels were mirrored by finely painted golden lines, as seen in the present piece. However a greater sense of depth and movement was able to be captured on these painted versions through the use of darker stipples of enamel, such as on the bodies of the dragons, to result in a more sumptuous overall effect.